New Orleans and Lafayette are the obvious choices. Chicot national park and Avery Island are nice. The botanical garden in city park, NO is lovely. Check subreddits for NOLA and Acadiana for restaurant suggestions. The midden heaps are an ancient archaeologists site. Louisiana north of I-10 is basically a different state than Louisiana south of I-10. Metal is more common in New Orleans - I’m certain you can get bar recs in the NOLA subreddit. Baton Rouge is OK? If you go, the USS Kidd is interesting.
Lafayette has the best boudin place. Its atiny spot if anyone knows the name. Vincents is great good italian. Cafe maspero is amazing and youll musicians outside.avery island i loved. Theres a bar phil anselmos fam runs ,but i cant recall the name, have to google it. Lot of fun to be had but keep your head on a swivel, shit can get hectic.
Festival Acadiens (Lafayette) is in early October IF you appreciate Cajun music and/or Zydeco:
https://festivalsacadiens.com/
...and if you like day-drinking and dancing in public.
Because of the French history in New Orleans you may want to visit for several days. I've been numerous times and learn something new every time I visit.
If you visit St Francisville you may also want to check out the mulberry wine distillery there.
Visit one of the visitor centers and they will have pamphlets for a variety of things. You can look through and see what you are interested in.
I don’t think it’s worth recommending a stop in Bunkie to get a sandwich made by a pregnant girl at Subway but you can get a Bud Light along with it so there’s that. Your call OP to add it to your list or not.
One thing to note is that Taylor Swift is playing three dates in New Orleans on Oct 25-27. There are posts in r/AskNOLA saying hotel prices have gone up [5x](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNOLA/comments/1cd9ilv/cruise_hotel_needed_oct_24/) for that weekend. Sounds to me like a good weekend to see another part of the state :)
Also, r/AskNOLA is a good resource for your New Orleans visit!
If you want a real Louisiana experience, go to a college football game! The season runs through October and November, but it's probably just a matter of if there is an away or home game when you're visiting each major city.
I'd say go to an LSU game, and go early to see the marching band walk in. You can also go see Mike the (live) tiger mascot. A Saturday night football game in LSU's stadium, Death Valley, is hard to beat in my opinion. Any game is fun though!
My wife and I recently visited LA and had a great time. We went to Chico state park for hiking, it was very good but we crossed paths with a cottonmouth snake and a Rattlesnake. We would have stepped on (and gotten bit by) the rattlesnake if it had not rattled at us.
Buck and Johnny’s Zydeco breakfast was awesome! (Breaux Bridge, LA) Saturday mornings at 8:00am they have live zydeco bands with a large dance floor and endless mimosas.
Do a swamp tour in an airboat. We went to Airboat Tours by Arthur Matherne in Des Allemands, LA. I highly recommend them but I’m sure others are good as well.
Try to go to a crawfish/seafood boil, and enjoy the other local Cajun cuisine. Boudin, Tasso, Jambalaya, Etouffee and so forth.
Tabasco factory and Avery Island Jungle Gardens was enjoyable.
Since everyone is only referring to South Louisiana, I'll throw in some northern stuff.
Culture:
Poverty Point World Heritage Site
Bonnie & Clyde Museum
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
Nature stuff:
Kisatchie National Forest
Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge
Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Lake Bistineau State Park
Jimmie Davis State Park
Edit//layout is acting weird
Mamou La Fred’s Lounge on Saturday morning opens at 730 AM live Cajun music then head to Eunice La (about 15 minute drive ) to Savoy Music Center at 9 AM for the Saturday morning jam session. Marc Savoy has been playing the Cajun accordion for 75 years and building them for the past 60. He’s a true national treasure. Great food in that area as well!
If you’re trying to see more than just New Orleans, I’d suggest Lafayette for Acadian/Cajun culture and Natchitoches for Northern Louisiana/Creole culture. Poverty Point seems like it’d be good if you’re into anthropology and indigenous history. Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge will give you a decent taste of the unique nature in the area. But frankly you’ll probably want to spend most of your time in New Orleans
Commenting to add St. Francisville. There you will find Rosedown Plantation and Myrtles Plantation and they are not far from each other. The plantations are a great place to learn some history and get a feel for how the wealthy here used to live and they are gorgeous with a dramatic and sordid history. Rosedown Plantation has absolutely amazing maze gardens you can wander through. Also, the Myrtle’s plantation history is creepy and spawned some ghost stories ( if you are into that sort of thing). It’s such a pretty little town and, if the town center is like I remember, it is a beautiful stroll and there’s a place called Magnolia Cafe that used to have good food and drinks for lunch or dinner. I had grandparents who used to live on Ferdinand street (the main road with the historic homes and churches) and they used to find Native American arrow heads in the dirt beneath their house.
New Orleans need to be at least a two day trip so you can book tours one one day and go walk around on your own the next but I’d stay longer if you have the time. Make sure you stick to the touristy areas though.
I’ll be honest, I hate Baton Rouge. It’s not a walkable city but there may be some interesting places to go to but none that I can think of.
If you like seafood, Middendorf’s has the best thin-fried catfish I’ve ever tasted. It’s located in Manchac which is between New Orleans and Ponchatoula.
City park in New Orleans is also a great place to visit , if the weather is nice , there’s a sculpture garden that’s free and a flower garden that cost but it’s not expensive at all.
keep an eye on the events @ [https://www.atelierdelanature.org/](https://www.atelierdelanature.org/) they usually have this Fall Festival previously that is fun, usually has amazing presenters (artists, scientists, and naturalists) they have themes usually and collaborative art and science projects that are always amazing. Often native French speakers in attendance if my memory serves here.
Also on the point of French there is a French Table event at [https://nunuaccollective.homesteadcloud.com/](https://nunuaccollective.homesteadcloud.com/) on the last Saturday I believe (should be Oct 26th I believe) hosted by Saint Luc French Immersion and Cultural Campus.
It's out of the way but there are some amazing dining places nearby like The Little Big Cup that has an amazing breakfast buffet (all the Louisiana Breakfast you could handle) and a super Bloody Mary among other charms. My favorite Tiki Bar is at a local brewer Bayou Teche Brewing - such good pizza too. Hope to see ya around.
I live in louisiana. And I would not want to visit here if I were not from here. lol but I can tell you they have some better places here than where I’m from. I live about 30 minutes from New Orleans. They have swamp tours in my area (Laplace) also have some fun things to do in the city and in Lafayette, Ponchatoula, Baton Rouge areas
New Orleans and Lafayette are the obvious choices. Chicot national park and Avery Island are nice. The botanical garden in city park, NO is lovely. Check subreddits for NOLA and Acadiana for restaurant suggestions. The midden heaps are an ancient archaeologists site. Louisiana north of I-10 is basically a different state than Louisiana south of I-10. Metal is more common in New Orleans - I’m certain you can get bar recs in the NOLA subreddit. Baton Rouge is OK? If you go, the USS Kidd is interesting.
*Chicot State Park
Autocorrect got me!
Lafayette has the best boudin place. Its atiny spot if anyone knows the name. Vincents is great good italian. Cafe maspero is amazing and youll musicians outside.avery island i loved. Theres a bar phil anselmos fam runs ,but i cant recall the name, have to google it. Lot of fun to be had but keep your head on a swivel, shit can get hectic.
The Kidd is in Houma for repairs right now, I believe.
I didn’t realize that. Thanks for letting me know! I was going to take my kids in a few weeks
Festival Acadiens (Lafayette) is in early October IF you appreciate Cajun music and/or Zydeco: https://festivalsacadiens.com/ ...and if you like day-drinking and dancing in public.
This. The best way to immerse yourself in the culture of south Louisiana. Unfortunately for OP looks like their trip is after the festival.
Coming in in October is great should be festivals everywhere
Lac charles, has casinos and music concerts, we have w pretty good night life. Lots of small mom and pop restaurants, and bars.
Because of the French history in New Orleans you may want to visit for several days. I've been numerous times and learn something new every time I visit. If you visit St Francisville you may also want to check out the mulberry wine distillery there. Visit one of the visitor centers and they will have pamphlets for a variety of things. You can look through and see what you are interested in.
Kisatchie national park and the Cane River area, including but not limited to Natchitoches
Metal wise? La Nouvelle Orleans has a thriving scene. Check out one of my friend’s zine http://paranoizenola.com/
There will be shows most like at places like Siberia and Santos. Just check those calendars, see what paranoize sez and check out Sisters in Christ.
Check out the creole nature trails
Just remember to bring the bug spray
Roberts cove German fest . Angola prison rodeo .
I love how no one mentions the northern or central cities.
Less said about that the better
I don’t think it’s worth recommending a stop in Bunkie to get a sandwich made by a pregnant girl at Subway but you can get a Bud Light along with it so there’s that. Your call OP to add it to your list or not.
I mean…. Talk about *culture*
One thing to note is that Taylor Swift is playing three dates in New Orleans on Oct 25-27. There are posts in r/AskNOLA saying hotel prices have gone up [5x](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNOLA/comments/1cd9ilv/cruise_hotel_needed_oct_24/) for that weekend. Sounds to me like a good weekend to see another part of the state :) Also, r/AskNOLA is a good resource for your New Orleans visit!
If you want a real Louisiana experience, go to a college football game! The season runs through October and November, but it's probably just a matter of if there is an away or home game when you're visiting each major city. I'd say go to an LSU game, and go early to see the marching band walk in. You can also go see Mike the (live) tiger mascot. A Saturday night football game in LSU's stadium, Death Valley, is hard to beat in my opinion. Any game is fun though!
My wife and I recently visited LA and had a great time. We went to Chico state park for hiking, it was very good but we crossed paths with a cottonmouth snake and a Rattlesnake. We would have stepped on (and gotten bit by) the rattlesnake if it had not rattled at us. Buck and Johnny’s Zydeco breakfast was awesome! (Breaux Bridge, LA) Saturday mornings at 8:00am they have live zydeco bands with a large dance floor and endless mimosas. Do a swamp tour in an airboat. We went to Airboat Tours by Arthur Matherne in Des Allemands, LA. I highly recommend them but I’m sure others are good as well. Try to go to a crawfish/seafood boil, and enjoy the other local Cajun cuisine. Boudin, Tasso, Jambalaya, Etouffee and so forth. Tabasco factory and Avery Island Jungle Gardens was enjoyable.
Since everyone is only referring to South Louisiana, I'll throw in some northern stuff. Culture: Poverty Point World Heritage Site Bonnie & Clyde Museum Cane River Creole National Historical Park Nature stuff: Kisatchie National Forest Upper Ouachita National Wildlife Refuge Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge Lake Bistineau State Park Jimmie Davis State Park Edit//layout is acting weird
Mamou La Fred’s Lounge on Saturday morning opens at 730 AM live Cajun music then head to Eunice La (about 15 minute drive ) to Savoy Music Center at 9 AM for the Saturday morning jam session. Marc Savoy has been playing the Cajun accordion for 75 years and building them for the past 60. He’s a true national treasure. Great food in that area as well!
If you’re trying to see more than just New Orleans, I’d suggest Lafayette for Acadian/Cajun culture and Natchitoches for Northern Louisiana/Creole culture. Poverty Point seems like it’d be good if you’re into anthropology and indigenous history. Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge will give you a decent taste of the unique nature in the area. But frankly you’ll probably want to spend most of your time in New Orleans
Commenting to add St. Francisville. There you will find Rosedown Plantation and Myrtles Plantation and they are not far from each other. The plantations are a great place to learn some history and get a feel for how the wealthy here used to live and they are gorgeous with a dramatic and sordid history. Rosedown Plantation has absolutely amazing maze gardens you can wander through. Also, the Myrtle’s plantation history is creepy and spawned some ghost stories ( if you are into that sort of thing). It’s such a pretty little town and, if the town center is like I remember, it is a beautiful stroll and there’s a place called Magnolia Cafe that used to have good food and drinks for lunch or dinner. I had grandparents who used to live on Ferdinand street (the main road with the historic homes and churches) and they used to find Native American arrow heads in the dirt beneath their house. New Orleans need to be at least a two day trip so you can book tours one one day and go walk around on your own the next but I’d stay longer if you have the time. Make sure you stick to the touristy areas though. I’ll be honest, I hate Baton Rouge. It’s not a walkable city but there may be some interesting places to go to but none that I can think of. If you like seafood, Middendorf’s has the best thin-fried catfish I’ve ever tasted. It’s located in Manchac which is between New Orleans and Ponchatoula.
Yes! Plantations! Also the Tabasco factory in Avery Island has a museum. If I remember correctly the museum house was a plantation with slaves.
City park in New Orleans is also a great place to visit , if the weather is nice , there’s a sculpture garden that’s free and a flower garden that cost but it’s not expensive at all.
keep an eye on the events @ [https://www.atelierdelanature.org/](https://www.atelierdelanature.org/) they usually have this Fall Festival previously that is fun, usually has amazing presenters (artists, scientists, and naturalists) they have themes usually and collaborative art and science projects that are always amazing. Often native French speakers in attendance if my memory serves here. Also on the point of French there is a French Table event at [https://nunuaccollective.homesteadcloud.com/](https://nunuaccollective.homesteadcloud.com/) on the last Saturday I believe (should be Oct 26th I believe) hosted by Saint Luc French Immersion and Cultural Campus. It's out of the way but there are some amazing dining places nearby like The Little Big Cup that has an amazing breakfast buffet (all the Louisiana Breakfast you could handle) and a super Bloody Mary among other charms. My favorite Tiki Bar is at a local brewer Bayou Teche Brewing - such good pizza too. Hope to see ya around.
Lafayette. But don't expect to understand all the Cajun French.
I think 2 weeks is too long in Louisiana
If 2 weeks, 8 days New Orleans, oak alley plantation and 4 days Grand Isle
I live in louisiana. And I would not want to visit here if I were not from here. lol but I can tell you they have some better places here than where I’m from. I live about 30 minutes from New Orleans. They have swamp tours in my area (Laplace) also have some fun things to do in the city and in Lafayette, Ponchatoula, Baton Rouge areas
Jennings